Confirmed: Barcelona starting line up to face Valencia

Confirmed: Barcelona starting line up to face Valencia Barcelona are looking for their fourth consecutive victory this season as they take on Valencia at the Mestalla this afternoon. Ahead of this clash, Barcelona have unveiled their starting eleven that will take on a Valencia side going through a crisis, with just one point in their opening three matches. The big news coming out of Mestalla is Rodri, who gets his first start for Barcelona after joining the club from Manchester City in the summer. The Spanish international is set to start in midfield alongside Pedri and Fermin Lopez, who gets the nod ahead of Dani Olmo. Lamine Yamal also gets a start after a missed training yesterday raised doubts about his presence in the starting eleven. Yamal’s start means Karim Adeyemi will once again have to settle for a place on the bench, with Raphinha and Anthony Gordon completing the Barcelona frontline. Hansi Flick has made a few changes in defence, though, with Eric Garcia starting ahead of Jules Kounde at right-back. Gerard Martin also starts ahead of Andreas Christensen, but Flick continues to trust youngster Xavi Espart. The young defender starts ahead of Joao Cancelo at left-back, though it won’t be surprising to see the latter coming on as a substitute later in the game.